Google Charging Some Users For Its Map Service

Google announced on October 26 that it will start charging users in the future for heavy usage of its Google Maps service.

The company said it will start charging users early in 2012 when over 25,000 map “hits” are made a day on the service.

Websites like travel firms use Google Maps to link customers to view destinations, and Google plans to cash in on these companies’ usage.

The company said that the new service charge will only affect 0.35 percent of its users.

“We understand that the introduction of these limits may be concerning,” Thor Mitchell, Product Manager at Google, said in a blog post. “However with the continued growth in adoption of the Maps API we need to secure its long term future by ensuring that even when used by the highest volume for-profit sites, the service remains viable.”

The company will start charging $4 for every 1,000 map views over the limit of 25,000 views per day.

“By introducing these limits we are ensuring that Google can continue to offer the Maps API for free to the vast majority of developers for many years to come,” Mitchell said.